Keep on wishing
by RavenCarver
Summary: "How can you screw things up when you already know what's going to happen?" - Well then brain, challenge accepted! She was given a chance to do anything. Of course, reincarnating into the One Piece world was on top of her wish list. Armed with one wish, what can she change? Everything. [OC story] [SI story] [AU] Pairing (if any) to be decided.
1. Chapter 1

**Helllooo! I'm one the most horrible people when it comes to keeping a story going after the initial chapter so try not to be** **disappointed** **! I'm a horrible updater. Try not to be surprised when I update around 2 years after the initial publishing. Review are welcome.**

 **I am not, nor will I ever own One Piece. The only thing I own is my own character. The whole story's** **centered** **around my OC and how she fares in the One Piece universe. Enjoy ~**

* * *

 **How to make a wish**

So why am I here? I believed, THINK, that I have lived long enough. Too long, really. So why?

Honestly, it all started with that wish. One, silly, little, measly wish. Okay, it's not really _little_ but it's still a wish.

It was nothing really. Just the old "reincarnation into another world" kind of thing. Like those SI stories I used to read online. I lived in the modern world, the one where smartphones and politics and the ever so deadly bane of everything, paperwork, existed. There was just something about me that never fitted in quite right.

Maybe it was the fact that I never cared for any form of romance? As in, I would flirt, but nothing and I mean _nothing_ was ever to be taken seriously? Maybe it was the fact that I never did anything with my life other than read, read and _read_? Even better, perhaps it was how much of an absolute society _reject_ I was that topped it all off. I loved fiction. I loved fiction so much that I drowned myself in it and never came out. Needless to say, I loathed reality.

My life was simple. I lived, I died. A blank face in the crowd, someone no one really cared for. There were those who were friends who were actual genuine friends. I never had those. Then there were the friends who used you and discarded you once you became a nuisance. Seriously, I may be a reject but even I would find it suspicious if someone suddenly acted all nice and friendly for no apparent reason. My family pretty much disowned me the second I made it clear I didn't want to strive to become what they call "a better person." Overall? I died alone. From heart failure while eating ramen of all things.

If you want me to tell you how the afterlife felt, well, thanks for asking. Some say it's a blank space, some people say it's either heaven or hell. Others say there is no afterlife, that you'll be in the state before you were born and stay like that forever more.

My experience? There was an office. An honest to god _office_ was where I ended up. A pretty clean one too.

The whole theme was modern; a white desk with a computer and potted plants, comfy chairs that somehow looked sleek at the same time, and the best part was the holograms. Blue, flickering holograms were everywhere, with words upon words of information. If it wasn't sci-fi, then I don't know what is.

The desk attendant looked normal enough, a brunette in a typical office lady attire sat behind the desk. I took the seat directly opposite and waited.

Eventually she looked up. '[Name], I welcome you to the afterlife. Congratulations [Name], you have won the "Once every millennium afterlife wish-granter". I am your attendant and you are here to discuss how you would like to spend your wish.

I rolled my eyes. 'Seriously, we both know this is a pain in the ass so maybe, just maybe, could you just point out any loopholes in the whole system so we both don't need to waste any more brain cells interrogating each other?' The attendant merely raised her eyebrow. 'I'm sorry, was that your wish?'

Groaning, I leant back and sprawled against the chair. 'Nothing I say, until I very specifically say, "I will make my wish, and it is…" is my actual wish. Everything after that is my wish and that's final, so don't even bother trying to trick me.'

The attendant sighed. 'I had hoped so too…' she muttered. Then she frowned. 'If you don't mind me asking, how are you not panicking? Usually people would ask to be reunited with their loved ones or revenge. That is, after they've screamed my ears off demanding an explanation of what's going on.'

I gave a nonchalant shrug. 'Honestly? I've seen and read way too many things to even be remotely surprised that it's happening to me in person. On my list of "Top 10 most surprising things that could happen to me after I die," this,' I gestured around the office,' is nowhere near making it on the top thousand. And no, you don't want to know my Top 10. Seriously, just, don't even go there.'

I leant forwards and rest my elbows on my knees. 'I too have a question, what's with the whole "Once every millennium afterlife wish-granter"? Just because I'm not panicking doesn't mean I'm not confused. I just handle it better than most. Actually, just explain everything people would normally ask you. Saves me some time.'

Her expression showed a hint of annoyance before moving on to resignation and finally settling on professional. 'Very well, please listen carefully. I would rather not repeat myself twice.'

"Once every millennium afterlife wish-granter," is, in short, a program which Death itself runs in order to amuse itself. Once every millennium, a recently deceased random soul will be dragged here, to the "Wish Base" and given the chance to make a wish. As long as Death is able to grant it, it will be granted regardless of what it is. Two other "Beings", Chaos and Order will either support you fully or try to thwart you somehow to restore the "World" you decide to effect to their rightful paths, or "Worlds" if you choose so. Life has accepted this programmed with Death as it too, gets rather bored. Others like Fate and Fortune get rather annoyed with the setup, but the program is still functioning regardless. You only get one wish and the only kinds of wish you can't make is either something beyond of Death's power, wishing for more wishes, or becoming a "Being" such as Death itself. Your wish must either be spoken or written down. Whatever you decide is completely up to you. Yes, you can redo your life completely. Yes, you can be reincarnated into another world of your choosing. Like I said, completely up to you. There are no other strings attached. If you wish to refuse this offer, then whatever was supposed to happen to you will take its course and you will forget this ever happened.'

I blinked. 'That's quite a bit to take in. May I have some time to myself?' The attendant nodded solemnly. 'You have all the time in the world.'

 _I'm breaking the Fourth Wall. It's too tempting not too. But then again, I kinda did that at the beginning didn't I? Sorry not sorry._

I wasn't kidding when I said this whole situation wasn't surprising. I've seen this kind of thing, or at least had thought of this situation happening somewhere in my fiction mind.

 _Step 1: Freak Out._

Seriously?! There are sooooo many people that deserved this more than I did! I mean, I was a rather selfish bastard in my past like but really, Death? Randomly picking souls? Why the heck was I chosen? Is there a lottery or something? Isn't anyone afraid I was going to screw things over? Like, really badly?

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

WHY ME?!

But then I stopped short. Wait a minute… Wasn't this is kind of behavior that Death was hoping for?

I glared at the ceiling and attempted to smash it with pure willpower. Well screw you too!

 _Step 2: Analyze the situation._

Was I in danger of dying immediately? No.

Was I captured in any way, shape or form? No.

Is there any danger to run from? No.

Any immediate threats? No.

Any obvious manipulations? Yes, Death wants entertainment.

What do I have on me? The clothes I died in. At least they weren't covered in ramen. Joy.

What situation am I in? I'm being forced to take part in the "Once every millennium afterlife wish-granter," program. Currently has eternity to figure out what I want.

What should I do to ensure physical and mental survival and hopefully health? Make sure I pick a "good" wish and don't screw myself over without approving the consequences.

 _Step 3: Use analyzation to take logical actions._

I must make a wish, there's no point passing up this kind of opportunity. Even if it is for someone else's entertainment, at least I don't have a "mission" of sorts to go on living.

The wish must be made carefully to maximum effect. Think over the wording very carefully, one mistake can cost myself everything. Write it down, don't say it. There's less chance of malfunction this way.

'Excuse me? Could I have some paper and a pen? I need to plan this,' I asked.

The attendant didn't even look up and handed over what I requested. Sweet.

 _Step 4: Think carefully and plan._

I started jotting down all the things I needed to remind myself about.

I will reincarnate myself in an anime of sorts. It was one of the things I daydreamed about when I was alive after all. I needed some action in my next life, too boring otherwise. On the other hand, the dangers of going in to anime were numerous. If I decided to go somewhere like Naruto I wouldn't survive the first ten days. Therefor there must be precautions. I must be stronger both physically and mentally and learn how to fight. I need to learn everything my old life failed to teach me and gain the experience that I lacked. How should I achieve this?

I continued like this for a long time. The reason I say "long time" is because there wasn't anything in the Wish Base that allowed me to keep track of time in the first place. The attendant remained silent, most likely waiting for me to make the first move.

In the end I decided to head over to One Piece. All the other universes required me to be extra close to the action to even do anything to affect the cannon in the first place. With One Piece, there were a lot of things I could do that could reshape that universe to my liking. I wouldn't be near too much action if I wanted to, after all in One Piece, I had all the Blues and the entire Grand Line to work with.

True, I could just make a super long wish that practically plans out my entire life but what fun would that be? I needed a challenge, something that can give me the thrill my past life ever so lacked.

What should my role be? I wanted something with impact, preferably making all the Emperors respect me for one thing or another. Then there's the timeline itself. I needed to go far back enough to plant the seeds, but I also want to track Luffy and make sure everything's going smoothly. Yup, I'm a stalker.

I don't want to interfere with the Straw Hat Pirates directly, perhaps being friends, family or acquaintances with some of them? I wanted Luffy to become the Pirate King, that's the whole point of the manga after all.

Blackbeard had to go, but how to do that without screwing everything over? I wanted Ace alive, but Luffy needs the wakeup call on how weak he is. Sabo was needed in the revolutionary, but I want the ASL trio to be together.

What about my real identity? Should I even tell anyone in the first place? What if there was someone from my world already in One Piece? Wait, I could just include in my wish that no one from any other worlds would be in that particular universe before or during my time there. Ah, how I love loopholes!

Then there was the World Government and the Celestial Dragons themselves. Those bastards that treated the world like chess, like they're Gods or something. They had to go as well, no way I wasn't going to do anything about it. The best way to do that was through Monkey D. Dragon, the "Most Wanted Man in the World" himself. He'd probably be suspicious, I either need to convince him that my situation is real or provide a good enough excuse or backstory to lie about it. So much planning to be done…

Thinking everything through made even my mind shut down on itself. If I wasn't dead, I would have drunken galleons of coffee in order to keep me going. Wait, what would happen if I made Luffy drank coffee? Oh Gods, I've got to warn Nico Robin when the time comes…

Of course, there's the problem with devil fruits. I could literally make up a devil fruit and set the limits of what I can do myself. I didn't want it to be overpowered, just extremely useful. I didn't want to awaken it immediately either, I wanted to actually work for this one. I know it's stupid, but hey! This is my wish so I'm allowed to be stupid. Should I stick inside the rules? I could give myself "magic" and not be a devil user at all. Nah, it's going to be more realistic.

My occupation? A good way to keep track of everything, be feared and respected, and make my actions and knowledge less suspicious than it would be…

An information broker!

That should work, now to work out the finer details. How I'm supposed to learn how to become one in the first place for example…

Drafting everything took ages. I had to reconsider all the factors again and again before I was finally satisfied. Then I would remember something important and rewrite everything again. I knew the guilt from knowing that my selfish wish would have created much grief and misfortune to those it effected, but overall, I was just that selfish. If sacrifices is what it took for me to have my wish, then I'm willing to pay it.

* * *

 **A/N: You don't have to read this, but it you want a basic summary of everything go ahead.**

Final Wish:

I will make my wish, and it is that I will be reborn 10 times, each being a human girl and retaining my memories from my previous life and all the lives after that forever more, before being reborn for the final time in the universe that my previous life recognizes as "One Piece" at precisely when Portgas D. Ace is born as the direct niece of Dracule Mihawk, also known as the "World's Greatest Swordsman," due to the wish I am making.

After that, whatever the "Beings" decide to do with me is their choice, however I will not ever repay or repent in anyway shape or form for my actions during these 11 lives. I will continue to be reincarnated, except after I die from the "One Piece" universe I will lose all my memories like a normal soul would. For the rest of my soul's existence, it will carry a journal with its entire story starting from the details of the making of this wish, to the end of time itself. Nothing can destroy it, everything is automatically recorded, and it cannot be read by anything other than my soul. It cannot be read to anything either, nor can it be recorded in any way shape or form.

Once birthed into the "One Piece" universe, my father will be long dead before I am born. He may be anyone that has no negative impact with myself as a person or my plans for the universe. (Surprise me please). My mother will die within 10 years of my birth due to murdering a family of Celestial Dragons to defend the inhabitants of the island she was on and consequently dies of a Buster Call. The island the Buster Call takes place at will be completely uninhabited other than my mother at the time. My mother will leave me with Dracule Mihawk when I am 1 year old and we will love each other like true Father and Daughter until Death does us apart. He will train me in swordsmanship, the ways of piracy, and everything he himself has ever known and introduce me to "Red Haired" Shanks, "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh as well as Whitebeard and his crew. The adults mentioned above will grow to love me like an adopted niece, and they will continue to help and support me until I die, or they die first.

Dracule Mihawk will be defeated by the next "World's Greatest Swordsman" which he himself would have personally trained (it is his only disciple) for 2 years in a fair duel, and be killed, satisfied with his life and death. Dracule Mihawk will not die before I turn 20 no matter what. His killer must have green hair and uses the Three Sword Style. I myself will die at precisely the age of 86 peacefully in my sleep. I will not die before this, nor will I be horribly injured or sick in any way shape or form that would hinder me in combat for more than three days throughout my entire life. I will not kill Dracule Mihawk's killer, nor will his killer kill me regardless of my level of swordsmanship.

I will not have a horrible love life.

I will leave Dracule Mihawk's care when I turn 16 with his permission. I will gain a weapon suited to my personal needs and personality that can only be used by me before I turn 16. I will have mastered Haki to be then. The weapon must be able to channel my devil fruit abilities without ever breaking. The weapon must be able to function perfectly without the use of other tools or objects.

At 19, I will officially become the "World's Best Information Broker," and become the "Second Most Wanted Person in History." I will be well respected, regarded with great fear by my enemies, and all my loved ones that die after me will attend my funeral. I will be buried with my most prized possessions, and all those who disturb my body will be cursed to be extremely unlucky with great misfortune for as long as they live.

I will discover and eat a devil fruit within a week of birth. This particular devil fruit is the Saundo Saundo no Mi, or the Sound Sound Fruit. It will not have been eaten or discovered by anything or anyone before I eat it. The user will be able to control sound at will, including the vibrations that make up sound. The user can manipulate sound with the only limits being; the user can only gain power within the domain of "sound," and their own imaginations. The user does not have to use their mouth or vocal cords to generate sound. When "awakened," the user will become a being equivalent to the "God of Sound." The user must learn to use the devil fruit and allow a minimum of 2 years after consumption before being able to "awaken" the devil fruit. I will not lose a comrade or loved one to awaken it. I will gain resistance to sea stone to the point where I can function as I would without it, except I cannot use my devil fruit powers.

Within the 10 times I am reincarnated, I will learn the following and become the best at them all in the history of that particular world. I will learn how to fight and consequently become the 'Strongest Human that Ever Existed" in each universe, in a manner that will transfer over to my 11th life (not counting the one before I made this wish and anything before that) and be retained in the form that I will be able to use it regardless of the difference in universes. This must include swordsmanship, material arts, assassination, leadership skills, manipulation, hand to hand combat, street fighting, the job of an information broker, becoming a weapons mistress, the skills of a doctor/healer/medic, mental combat and tactics along with planning.

The World Government will be destroyed in my lifetime. Monkey D. "Straw hat" Luffy will successfully find One Piece and be crowned "Pirate King," with all of his first 20 original crewmembers still alive and in excellent health. All the members of the first original 20 of the Straw Hat Crew will achieve their dream within their lifetime. They will all die by their own terms, after they have turned a minimum 40 years old. The next era will be rather peaceful and at least 50% less corrupt than the eras I will live in.

All of my reincarnations' universes cannot contain any soul that knows of my previous life's world until my soul has left it.

My soul will be "human," regardless of how many times I reincarnate until I get sick of it.

That's it. Nothing above can change, no matter what. Otherwise this wish is invalid.

* * *

I finally put down the pen and rubbed my eyes tiredly. 'Well that took a pretty long time!' I commented.

Overall? I practically just planned out my _entire_ One Piece life with pre-preparation. Of course, I didn't plan out _everything_. As a certain rubber head Captain would think; "what's the point of having an adventure when you know what's going to happen?"

Or in my case: "How can you screw things up when you already know what's going to happen?"

Well then brain, challenge accepted!

 **Aaaaaaand cut! Like I said, reviews are welcome. I** **apologies** **beforehand for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Yes, she doesn't have a [Name] yet. Have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**In all honesty this is the first time I've had expectations to live up to. I'll try not to disappoint! Reviews welcome.**

 **I do not, nor will I ever own One Piece. Enjoy ~**

 **Key:**

'I can talk!'- any language that's not human

 **Echolocation -** any attack name or a move name (sometime just used for emphasis)

* * *

 **Once I was No Years Old**

Birth. Again, and again, 10 times over and now on the 11th. It's odd, being an adult in the mind of a child. After all, it's not everyday someone 966 years old gets born. Not that my parents knew that.

God that sounds _wrong._

I'll spare you the gruesome details. Being forcefully squeezed from the womb isn't very pleasant. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but no. I learnt my lesson the hard way on how to handle it on the third birth. The best way? Squeeze your eyes shut and pray you won't get the needle. Needles are *shudders* _evil._

When I came out, I cleared my throat and drew oxygen into my lungs. Freedom!

Not bothering to open my eyes, I tilted my head and attempted to catch some of the conversation going on around me.

'She's fine.'

'The mo- stable.'

'Girl's healthy.'

'Wh- crying?'

'Slap her. '

Slap me?! Wait, no stop! Stop!

'Aaaaaahhh! Waaaahh!'

I screamed in pain as the nurse slapped me firmly on the bottom.

DAMN IT WOMAN!

I wriggled as much as my new body would let me as pain flooded my system. You could've just _asked_ me to cry! Be more civilized! Geez, I've got to start a petition for the handling of babies at birth…

As I started bawling my eyes out, a smooth hand quickly weighed me, wrapped me in a fluffy blanket and handed me over to the women I could only assume to be my mother.

'Hello darling. Welcome to the world.' Her voice was lilting and sweet with an edge I can only describe as steel. 'Open your eyes now, let mama see your eyes…' I complied and was immediately greeted with a glare of sunlight. I heard the people around me gasp in wonder. 'Amazing,' my mother breathed.

I squinted as the blurry figure above me came into focus. My mother was… There were no words for her. Even in her tired state her beauty seemed to put Boa Hancock's to shame. Luxurious locks framed her face and her eyes, the eyes were like Mihawk's except it lacked the 'Hawk- Eyes' factor. They were more amber, with a hint of honey.

I squealed and grabbed a fistful of her hair. The nurses seemed startled but my mother took no notice. Instead she continued staring at me or more specifically; my eyes.

'So bright,' she whispered. I was confused. What does she mean by that? Surely, I wasn't doing anything freaky like outright _glowing_ or something. I mean, sure that happened. _Once._ It was the messiest birth I've ever experienced.

'Her name is Silver.' I blinked and attempted to move my neck. 'Her name is Dracule D. Silver?' A nurse asked. 'Yes.' She gently pried my fist off her hair and shifted as she handed me to the nurse who placed me in a cot. 'Please, take care of her for now. I need to…' Her words seem to fail her as exhaustion caught up. 'Sure thing dearie,' the nurse soothed. 'Get some rest now, you've done well.'

The nurses continued to fuss around before finally leaving me and my mother alone. I took advantage and looked around. We weren't in hospital. Good, more room for sneaking around. It seemed she had given birth in a cottage of sorts. It shouldn't be too bad, right?

'Sarahool Eh. Eehlfer.' I winced at my pronunciation. So, my name's Silver huh? I wonder why… Then my thoughts drifted onto the "D". Wait.

My blood froze as the implications hit me. "D"?! I swear that Mihawk didn't have a "D" in his full name so theoretically neither should his sister. That only leaves the father… So, my father in the One Piece world is a "D" so I'm now one by default.

I was sooooo tempted to facepalm. Great! I don't even know what it stands for and now I'm one as well. What to do, what to do…

I yawned and felt my eyelids droop. Ah, right. I'm not even a day old. My bad.

I wriggled into a more comfortable position and sank into the darkness known as sleep. My last thought? Oh, right. I was born on the same day as Ace. Happy Birthday, son of the Pirate King. Wherever you are.

* * *

The next couple of days were boring. If there was one thing I learnt to absolutely loath with my entire being. it was boredom _._ Heck, I'll even go as far as say it was worse than _paperwork._

I allowed myself to be fed, bedded, and did my best not to complain like a normal child. In the meantime, I forced myself to move around a lot to build up enough muscle for me to actually do something other than sleep. Otherwise, I was thinking; slowly growing my brain to handle the mind of an adult.

The most interesting thing I learnt was probably that my mother wasn't a sister, she was a twin. The twin of one Dracule Mihawk. Turns out her name was Dracule Amber. It was rather fitting, I mused. Their names matched their eyes. I wonder if it was tradition?

On the 9th day, I was carried outside by Amber. According to the nurses, she had a freaky recovery rate. Shielded from the elements in her grasp, she sat beneath a tree and slowly hummed a lullaby. Ironically enough, it her who fell asleep, not me.

Stealthily escaping her grasp, I crawled as fast as my body would let me. Finally!

The island seemed normal enough. There was a forest to the right and a meadow to the left. I chose the forest. It was everything a forest should be. Dense, noisy, and filled with trees. I knew in my state that I wouldn't be able to defend myself physically, but I was confident I'd be fine. Why? "I myself will die at precisely the age of 86 peacefully in my sleep. I will not die before this, nor will I be horribly injured or sick in any way shape or form that would hinder me in combat for more than three days throughout my entire life."

Now that's a I call foolproof! Knowing that you won't die no matter what gives your ego quite the boost. I giggled just imagining the expressions of others when I tell them I'll die at age 86. Will they call me crazy? Nah, I'm just complicated.

I froze as howling filled the air. This sounded like…

I renewed my efforts as I crawled towards the sound. I was curious, also worried. Why would a wolf pack be in such a tropical forest?

I kept crawling until I reached a cliff. Looking down, what I saw made my 9-day old blood boil. Poachers were here.

Men of all shapes and sized were loading caged wolves into a truck. With each passing second my killing intent grew. There was a fully-grown wolf in a cage not much bigger than me! I winced as a small litter of pups was taken away from their mother. _Stupid poachers._

I wanted, no, needed to do something. Anything with the rage from inside my heart. What could I do? What do I have? I was on a cliff with nothing. No tools, no weapons, just me. Sitting there wouldn't help, I should move.

Crawling a bit more slowly, I crept around the area, trying to find something that could help. The wolves were almost all in the truck, time was running out. I clenched my non-existent teeth in frustration. I know I'm only 9-days old but damnit! I'm 966!

Suddenly one of the larger grey wolf's ears perked up and it turned to stare at the cliffs. Or more specifically, the place where I was hiding. I stared into its emerald eyes helplessly. _What?_

Slowly, subtly, the wolf turned its snout to the left. Hoping I was interpreting the message correctly or if it was even a message at all, I crawled left. After a couple of meters, the wolf turned its snout to directly face me. _What now?_ The wolf didn't do anything but blink, still staring at me. I turned around. _Oh._

A gigantic tree. It was absolutely huge, like the ones in Sabaody Archipelago. I crawled towards its gnarled roots, hoping to find something useful, anything.

And find something I did.

It was white, with grey swirls decorating it at random areas. Like any other Devil Fruit, it had the trademark swirls. It was nestled just underneath a particularly tangled knot of roots. The Saundo Saundo no Mi was shaped like a bunch of grapes.

I quickly made a mental note to thank the wolf later.

Gingerly plucking a single piece, I smashed it between my fingers into pulp before holding my breath and swallowing. Inwardly I was backflipping all over the place. Yes! My fruit! Finally, I can– **Bluuuuurgh!**

 **WhAT THE ACTU#$! & !HO*%$!%*#OD~%&*&#*!**

'DISGUSTING!'

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the first proper word that Dracule D. Silver has ever spoken.

 _All over the world…_

As if possessed, Devil Fruit users all over the world turned their heads towards an unknown location in the New World. Marco the Phoenix inwardly shuddered. Crocodile smirked into his cigar. Another had joined their ranks.

As one, they bowed their heads.

 _'Disgusting isn't it? My condolences.'_

 _Back with Silver_

After swallowing the bile, I turned towards the poachers. They were all staring in my direction. Some were drawing pistols and others their knives.

 _…Woops_

Thinking quickly, I crawled slowly out of the way of the pistols. Is there a way to knock them all out? I need them unconscious. The wolves might get hurt if I use the wrong pitch, and I don't have time to experiment and fine tune my powers. Time to act crazy.

'MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PUNY HUMANS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SACRED ANIMALS?'

The poachers all jumped and looked at each other nervously.

'You're no god! Show yourself! What kind of god would yell out disgusting?!'

'WHY, I WAS DISGUSTED AT YOUR BEHAVIOR OF COURSE! THIS IS MY FOREST, PUNY HUMANS. LEAVE OR FACE MY WRATH!'

'If you're a god then show yourself!'

A flurry of shots rang out. I took cover behind a particularly think tree trunk. Drastic measures? Yep, that sounds needed about right now. I closed my eyes.

A wail of ungodly noises tore through the air. Firetruck engines, people's screaming, the squawking of one thousand birds, throbbing bass, I even threw in some dubstep.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to create a barrier of silence around the wolves. I wasn't sure if it was working, but it was the best I could do.

'Aaaaah!' The poachers screamed and clamped their hands over their ears in an attempt to block out the noise. It was futile, all I had to do was to keep increasing the volume.

'LEAVE! LEAVE MY FOREST AND. NEVER. EVER. RETURN!'

I stopped the noise and the poachers immediately tore through the under grove in an attempt to leave. They weren't going to have clear hearing for a couple of days, perhaps ever. I smiled. No regrets? Definitely.

I carefully made my way down the cliff. Clutching the plant life, I lowered myself down. As soon as I reached the bottom, I wearily crawled over to the cages. The wolves were watching me intently, the ones that were still free didn't move. I gave my best smile. 'Does anyone know where the keys are?'

The wolves seemed to blink in surprise. 'You can talk to us? You can understand us?' I turned towards the large grey wolf. 'Yes, with the power of sound I can communicate with just about everything.' The wolf bowed, not as a sign of submission but respect. 'I am the leader of this pack. My name is Kalma. The keys you speak of are inside the machine somewhere.'

Nodding, I turned towards the truck. **Echolocation**. The soundwaves bounced off the walls, giving me a blurry 3D version of the truck. There, on the floor. Reaching over, I picked up the keys and started to slowly unlock all the cages. It took a while, and by the end, I was near my limit. Flopping down, I fought the urge to sleep.

Kalma stared at me. 'Thank you, human child. You have done us a great favor today.' My legs twitched as I attempted to move. 'Don't mention it. You can live around here is you want. But right now, I really need to get going…' I got up and would have fallen over again if Kalma hadn't supported me with a gentle nudge. 'We will escort you, child. Ride on my back.' Not having enough strength left to argue, I did as I was told. 'That way,' I pointed. 'My mother should be sleeping under the only tree in the meadow…'

I didn't feel the ride back. All I knew was that my 9-days old body wasn't ready for such elaborate trips yet. Sleeping peacefully, I wasn't awake when the wolves reached the end of the meadow.

I wasn't awake to see Amber wide awake and staring in awe and panic as Kalma put me down gently where the forest ended and the meadow started.

I wasn't awake to see Amber have a _conversation_ with Kalma.

And I wasn't awake when she carried me home either.

* * *

When I woke up again I was in my crib.

I wrinkled my nose and sniffed the air. Medicine. I lifted my hands and studied them. Small scratches covered my arms and even bigger ones painted my hands. Bandages were wrapped softly my body, probably to avoid an infection. My mother must have carried me home. I froze.

She carried me home.

My mother, woke up to see her 9-days old baby girl covered in unexplained scratches and cuts. More importantly, I wasn't anywhere near the position I was in before she fell asleep. Even worse, there was nothing in the meadow that could have done that to me. In other words, one can accurately assume I had ventured into the forest, gotten hurt, then somehow crawled back.

'Silver! I see your up.' I gulped and titled my head slowly. 'Goo goo gah gah?' My mother had a huge brilliant smile on her lips. A huge brilliant smile that didn't reach her eyes. 'Nice try sweetie but give it up. Kalma told me ev-ry-thing. Now tell me. Who. Are. You.'

I gulped. It wasn't a question, anyone could tell that. The angry demonic creature rising up behind her didn't help either. Wait, Kalma? Wasn't Kalma a wolf? I stared at her. How could Kalma tell her anything?

'Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine,' I offered. Amber's eyebrows shot straight up. 'How are you talking without using your mouth?' 'Devil Fruit,' I deadpanned. 'How did you talk to Kalma?' 'Devil Fruit,' she replied, a glimmer of amusement sparkled in her eyes. 'I'm guessing Hiso Hiso no Mi.' I had to work to keep the smugness out of my voice.

That shut her up.

'Alright, who are you? Where's Silver? How did you know?' She demanded.

I blew a raspberry. 'One question at a time please. But answering all your questions will take while. Firstly, I _am_ Silver. You named me after all. As for who I am and how did I know, well…'

To her credit she took it well. 'I'm a reincarnation of sorts. Currently 966 years old and still counting.' She only fainted. After she came to and supplied herself with a bottle of wine, I gave her a basic rundown of my wish, how the wish happened, and why I am here.

'And so, in conclusion.' I stared at her right in the amber eyes. 'I'm sorry.' She blinked at that. 'Why?' She asked cautiously. I couldn't keep the guilt out of my voice. 'Because of me, your husband is dead. Because of me, you're going to die. I'm sorry, for my selfishness I am _sorry_. A thousand times over, I. Am. Sorry.' My voice cracked at this point.

I swallowed.

'I'm sorry for existing.'

She is my mom. She is my mom and she's beautiful. She is my mom and I made it so my mom was _destined to die._

 _What kind of daughter am I?_

She didn't say anything. She simply sat there, with those amber eyes fixed on mine. I couldn't read her face. _Don't stare._ She kept staring. _Don't stare!_ _Don't stare at me like tha-!_

With one graceful stride, she picked me up from my crib and hugged me. She didn't do anything else, she just stood there swaying.

'I forgive you.' I froze, not believing my ears. 'What do y- '

'I also thank you.' She cut me off. Okay, now I'm sure I'm hallucinating.

'I thank you for making that wish. I thank you for allowing me to exist. I thank you for caring for my brother in your wish. I thank you for giving such a badass ending. Most of all, I thank you for existing.' I stared into those amber eyes and memorized the softness of them. 'No one should be hated for existing. I will never hate you Silver. You're _my_ daughter. Don't you forget that.'

I couldn't take it. I buried my head into her neck.

'You mean it?' I whispered.

'For forever and a day.' There was hard resolve in her voice.

I cried. I cried my heart out that day. We stood in that room, mother and daughter. A mother comforting her daughter. A mother _loving_ her daughter. We both cried. And on that day, I swore an oath to myself.

 _I will be the best damn daughter you've ever seen._

I sniffed, breathing in her scent. It was hers, the cottage, the scent, the eyes, even me. I wouldn't change anything. Why would I? I had the best mom in the world.

'Mom?' 'Yes dear?' 'I love you. I love you so much.' 'Mmh. Right back at you.'

There was nothing in all the worlds that could change it.

 **There you have it! Second chapter done and dusted. First try writing emotionally, what do y'all think? Not much action in this chapter. I mean, hey it's a story, right? 'All action' can't be good. Bit shorter this time... Gotta write more! Meh, leave a review! Peace.**

 **Hiso Hiso no Mi: Whisper Whisper Fruit.**

 **If you're all wondering how a 9-day old child can stay awake for so long, chalk it up to freaky genes, and Silver being so powerful in her past 10 lives.**

 **Why's her name Silver? Well, get your detective caps on 'cause the answer's in the chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Helloooo! I'm back people and please expect even more inconsistent updates. I'm not very nice that way. Call me lazy, I am!**

 **I don't own One Piece, boooooooo. I don't own any songs here either!**

 **Key:**

'I can talk!' – any language that's not human

 **Echolocation –** attack name, or move name (sometimes just used for emphasis)

* * *

 **Mom is mom, no one else**

'Mom! Mom! Mooooooooooooooooom! I'm pretty sure you let the eggs burn, again!' Wrinkling my nose at the smell, I tried not to chortle as she let loose an un-lady like shriek. No doubt she'll deny it later, in which case I'll tease her about being "opposite in every, way, shape or form other than the pure badassery she can initiate at any one time compared to her twin."

In which case she'll force me to sleep in my room and do nothing for ages claiming that "too much hyperactivity isn't healthy." Total bull, but all well _worth it~._

After the whole "oh, by the way I'm mentally 966 and the only reason you exist is because of this wish I made" fiasco, we talked out everything and anything before coming into a mutual understanding.

If anyone asks it's this:

I'm her daughter. _Period._

We had this weird, "not quite mother-daughter, not quite friend-friend and not quite caretaker-child" relationship going on. She knew to treat me as an adult but at the same time a toddler - ' _you may be 966 but as of right now you're 0!'-_ and would sigh in resignation while swinging down bottles of wine at the tales I told her in my spare time (which was a lot), but she was still a damn good mother.

She fed me, washed me, made sure I didn't do anything stupid around the cottage. She kept me company and constantly brought new things for me to do.

She would have been a pretty domestic housewife if she didn't carry a blade of some sort wherever she went.

Scalpels, good old-fashioned katanas, knives and daggers. You name it, we've got it lounging around in our cottage somewhere, just waiting to be used.

Don't comment on how docile she is around her though, you never know where that dagger's going to end up.

Then there was her home cooking.

When she got it right, it was a legend amongst the locals. Anyone you asked would have told you that Amber who was dubbed, "the lady of the meadow cottage," was the best chef they've ever seen. Rumors had it that she had fed a starving man once and he was as good as new the next day, even going as far as proclaiming, "how could the food of the gods _not_ heal me?"

To put it in perspective? It was so delicious to the point where the smell of it alone made me drool and I was barely _one_. Every time I had to drink my milk I would ask her what her cooking tasted like.

 _'Oh, today was some sea king steak, plenty if spinach and salad along with this wine-sauce recipe I got from a chef I met while I was travelling. It melts in the mouth, and the sea king was so tender!'_

I would accept the milk without complaint, all the while dreaming of the cuisine and smelling the non-existent aroma my mother was perfectly capable of making that I couldn't eat.

' _Stop sulking and drink Silver!'_

 _'But mooom, your cooking sounds sooooo good!'_

 _'Either you drink from that bottle or it's back to breastfeeding!'_

 _'Hmph, mom's a meanie.'_

 _'What was that?'_

 _'Nothing ma'am!'_

What really made her the best mom the attitude. She would be the politest person you've ever met and you'd never know the consequences of crossing her. For those stupid enough to do so…Well.

Here's a little story.

One day, mom took me to town to celebrate my achievement of "finally being able to walk, even if it's just a little bit." We had an absolute blast with all the stores but there was a little hiccup somewhere along the line of our shopping. Namely; a bunch of bounty hunters wanting to ransom her once they recognized her as Mihawk's twin. Wait, no.

Read: bunch of bounty hunters leering at her, wanting to kidnap her, _then_ finally recognizing her when she started glaring.

But no, that wasn't even the worst part for them. The worst part was them being stupid enough to purposely grab _me_ and hold me at knife point.

My first time witnessing mom dishing out some well-deserved ass kicking was definitely not the last, but it was certainly one of the most times I've been tempted to blow someone's eardrums off. How dare they use _me_ to get to _my mom?!_

Call me over-protective, but _no one messes with my family._

To be more specific, _no one_ uses _me to mess with my family._

I mean, they can take care of themselves just fine.

That didn't prevent me from inconspicuously helping by blaring shrieking worthy of a banshee right in the goons' ears though.

Watching my mom weave, duck, and outright _blur_ to dish out punishment reminded me just why she was well feared. Gaining the epithet "The Chasseur," I know for a fact she had left a valley-full of bodies in her wake before. Whoever wronged her, she would tear apart with vengeance. The best part? The marines couldn't even arrest her because she did it all in "self-defense." Protecting the locals from the "mountain bandits" wasn't a crime after all. They tried, oh believe me they tried. What can I say? Mom's _epic._

Not even bothering to unsheathe her sword, she mows through them by assaulting them with a maelstrom of sharp objects. Turns out she's not just good with swords but could throw things in a manner worthy of Dr. Kureha herself. Forks, knives, poles, pebbles, heck even _wooden_ _splinters_ were thrown with deadly accuracy.

I'm pretty sure "badass" would be the Dracule twins' middle name if they had any.

When she asked me about why they were so distracted throughout the fight, I grinned as best as I could without having all my teeth before explaining exactly what I've been doing with my devil fruit. Her reaction was somewhat ego deflating but still justified.

' _Honey, listen. You must not use your devil fruit around town, or anywhere that you might even have the slightest,_ chance, _of being discovered alright?' She hissed urgently._

 _'Why? Aren't you happy I'm learning?' A bit of disappointment welled up inside me. Did I do something wrong?_

 _'No! No, it's just that… Look, this island is peaceful and generally ignored by marines and pirates. But slave traders! If even a hint of a rumor came about this island that a not even a year-old child could use her devil fruit in the manner you just described, then I'm afraid it just won't be safe. They'll capture you, brainwash you and perform all sorts of horrible experiments on you._ Especially _when they find out about your mental age! And I… I don't want that. Not for you, not for anyone. I'll protect you but I can't protect you from yourself._ Promise me _.'_

 _'…O…Okay.'_

That was the day I solemnly promised on my pride as a Dracule that no, I will not let anyone else experience my powers without it being a life or death situation until I was deemed old enough. On my pride and my mother's safety, so be it.

Days practically churned by after that. I never told her, but with each passing day I did my best to do something more. It didn't matter what that "more" was. More gifts, more attempts to make her laugh, more hugs and kisses, more meaning, more _everything._

We would go out in the woods and play with Kalma and his pack.

We would go shopping together and haggle all the stores to secure the best ingredients for mom to cook with.

We would sit on one of the beaches many, many rocks and trade stories. Mom's wine was always nearby for her to drink.

She would persuade all the animals to give me rides around the forest, always jogging behind us and telling me "it's good exercise!"

We would live, but I just couldn't _forget._

Mom was happy, that was all that mattered.

 _There was a_ _deadline._

The cottage needs more flowers. Definitely more flowers.

 _One that I set._

When was the last time I could look at the sky and sigh?

 _I'll make it up to her. I will._

Distract yourself.

 _Always._

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Slowdown _HURRYstopquickersmilesquirmactpretendhelp!_

Help. _Her._

* * *

I was eleven months old at the time. Mom and I had another typical day of teasing, snarking, laughing and arguing. From rolling in the meadow and pointing out the clouds, we walked towards town covered with flecks of mud.

 _PHOOOO!_

'Argh! Seriously why does someone have a foghorn of all things?' Mom cursed and uttered profanities that would put pirates to shame or make a lady faint. But she was no lady, she was Dracule Amber.

'Amber! Amber!' A red-faced man tripped over his own two feet as he made his way through town. A rather thick letter was clutched firmly in his hands. 'Amber! It's a letter for you! From _him!'_

Instantly, mom was on guard. Clutching me tighter in her arms, she crossed the distance between them in such speeds that I could have sworn she had somehow managed to eat another devil fruit when I wasn't looking.

'Good, you did your job. Hand it over.' Mom's eyes pierced the man in a manner eerily similar to her twin's. The man gulped before holding out the letter. She snatched it and turned away without another word.

Running as fast as she could back to her cottage, mom deftly put me onto a chair before almost _shredding_ the letter in an attempt to open it. Frantically, she wrenched the letter out and scanned its contents. I tilted my head and watched as her skin grew distinctly paler and paler until it came to a jarring stop; mom's back straightened and twisted towards me so quickly I half-expected a whip-lash.

Striding over to one of our numerous locked cabinets, she crushed the lock with her bare hands before pulling out a small slip of paper.

'Silver, we need to get our things ready. We're leaving.' Her usually soft eyes hardened to topazes.

'What was in that letter that makes you think we need to leave, mom? Also, that's a vivre card right? Is it uncle's?' I tentatively asked.

'Yes, it is. As for why, word got out.' She blurred across the cottage, picking out what we needed.

'Someone was on the island. They must have seen you, _us_ in the meadows. Probably managed to plant some kind of bug amongst all the grass. The information's getting leaked to all the groups that we don't need after our heads. My brother gathered enough intel while travelling to deduce that we're in danger. He doesn't know the reason why but he does know this; some slave ships are coming to visit. Even if I protected you, the townsfolk will still get hurt. That _stupid World Government_ sent out a damned ARREST WARRANT!' She screamed and yelled as she clutched her hands into fists.

 _SMASH!_

I stared in blatant awe as part of the cottage wall got blasted to bits from the pure force she exerted through her punch. I'm pretty sure it never made actual contact either.

'They're using my brother as an excuse to arrest me! Using my family to get to my child!'

 _CRASH! BOOM!_

Aaaaaand, now the wall was non-existent.

' _HOW DARE THEY?!'_

She stood there, panting and glaring at where the wall used to be.

'…Mom, the poor wall's dead.'

She snapped up, I swallowed as I met her gaze. 'You know, I understand. All of it, from your anger to the reasons why we're being targeted. But please, be angry at them _after_ we're out of here. _After_ we've found a place to go. _After_ we've found safety. Until then… Just try to focus, okay?'

She stilled and let her hair slide over her face. I held my breath, fearing that she was going to start screaming again. Then she brushed her hair aside to reveal a face set with grim determination.

'Alright honey.' She nodded firmly. 'Let's pack.'

I was quick to start listing everything I thought we needed. Working together, we managed to fit everything into two travelling suitcases. One for everything we needed and the other for everything we didn't deem necessary, but still helpful.

We boarded a ship the next day, the _Two Suns._ A boat with worn sails but a respectable crew. The time we had on our hands was spent sitting on the railing while glowering at anyone who tried to talk to us. Well, with me trying to glower at least.

We avoided everyone, making sure to keep to ourselves and stay out of sight. Travelling by sea in my current body was a new experience for me, the waves were calm and the winds never failed to made me shiver. You had to watch your head for random projectiles and make sure to stay out of everyone's way. Mom kept me entertained by pointing out how the crew functioned and how the ship was kept running. I made sure to store the information away later, different universes had different ships after all.

Everything was quiet, with just mom and I. Nobody else to talk to, no people to recognize and no sense of peace or safety at night. Mom made a habit of sleeping with a dagger up her sleeves and even then, had an extra one clenched in her hands.

Staring at the grim lines that marred my mom's face, I found myself wishing I could make her laugh. Just a little bit would be fine.

At last, we reached a small island with a rundown town. Disembarking quickly, we made our way to the smaller, more dingy part of the docks. Mom talked quietly to one of the locals. After gold changed hands and oaths of secrecy were sworn, we got ourselves a little sailboat that I dubbed _The Lost_.

I sat quietly fiddling with a piece of rope as we ventured into the fog. Mom didn't talk, keeping her eyes firmly glued on the vivre card to her brother. Bored out of my mind, I hummed some old songs that I knew while generating music with my devil fruit.

' _Yo ho, haul together. Hoist the colors high~_

 _Heave ho, thieves and beggars. Never shall we die~'_

I looked up as my mom gave a snort.

'Too gloomy?'

'No, though gloomy does play a part in it. That's a song from one of those movies you love talking about so much right?'

'Pirates of the Caribbean. Our version of pirates differs greatly from yours though. The marines don't all have ridiculous white hair, for example.'

Mom snorted again. 'I'd pay good money to see those bastards dress up the way you describe them.'

'So would I, mom. So would I. Oh look, gloomy island.'

Indeed, gloomy would be a great way to describe it. The fog made it hard to see anywhere, flickering with various greens and purples that would have looked mesmerizing had it not seemed unnatural. The looming castle did stand out quite prominently, great jutting edges and towers that seemed to reach for the sky in an attempt to escape the fog. The rest of the island were forests, great tall trees with leaves sticking out in such an angle that it looked like some kind of giant monster's prickly skin.

'Somewhere in those trees, my badass uncle lives with nothing but intelligent, giant monkeys with a healthy sense of self-preservation for company,' I murmured before smirking. 'That sounds like something straight out of One Piece alright.'

Mom deigned to ignore me as she tied _The Lost_ to a little wooden dock before hauling me up onto her shoulders. After hoisting me up and fitting my legs snugly around her neck, she picked up our luggage and started walking towards the castle at a brisk pace.

I swore I saw a couple of the humandrills but mom used her devil fruit to dismiss them. I think mentioning "Mihawk's sister" was more than enough for them. The tiny bit of _was that CONQUERERS HAKI?!_

…. Well it definitely wouldn't hurt. Nope, not at all!

Still humming some sea shanties, we arrived at the castle door in relative silence.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

'Oi! Get your ass over here!' Not even a second later, the castle door creaked open to reveal a slim crack. Mom and I slipped through it, allowing the door to snap shut with a loud BANG.

Mom strode through the great halls with barely a glance, steadily walking forwards and striding upstairs until we entered what I considered to be a living room. There were a few chairs, tables, shelves of books and a comfortable looking couch next to a window which overlooked the castle. Surprisingly, there was no dust and nary an insect to be found. Uncle must be good at housecleaning then.

Mom rid herself of the luggage, dropping them with a thud onto the carpeted floor before gently placing me onto the couch. 'I got your message, brother.'

The candlelight that seemed to barely light up the hallways flickered just a little bit, yet I still saw a shadow gliding across the floor. My gaze travelled up and up, until it settled on a pair of eyes. Glowing, amber, sharp as a predator's claws.

Dracule "Hawk-eyes" Mihawk, Worlds Greatest Swordsman and my one and only uncle.

'Yes, it appears you did.' He spoke in a nonchalant tone, but the way his eyes flickered over both our forms said otherwise. A quick, yet thorough scan of his sister, before turning his gaze on me.

Well, gaze wouldn't be an accurate description. _Through me,_ sounds better. He inspected me the way one might study a particularly interesting picture, trying to gauge the meaning behind it without asking the photographer what it meant, and what it's meant to be.

'She's tiny.' He stated flatly. I bristled.

'You gave up _that,_ for _this?'_ He gestured vaguely in my direction, staring at my mom with judgement in his eyes.

'I did,' she retorted. 'And hell will freeze over before I regret any of it.'

He stared at her some more. 'You're hiding something.'

'What makes you say that?'

A pause.

'Since when,' he mused, 'did my own sister think me oblivious?'

'Oh, I don't know. You didn't seem like the visiting type. I thought you'd have gotten dumber, but alas, I can only hope.' Mom's face was blank, but her eyes danced with mirth.

Mihawk, on the other hand, was anything but amused.

' _Do not lie to me, sister,'_ he hissed. 'The Amber I know _never_ deflects a question. You charge through everything and crawl through it all bloody and broken but you just. Won't. _Stop._ There are very few things that scare you, sister. Consequences be damned, you're as bullheaded when it comes to emotions as Big Mom herself! You gave up everything for _him,_ and you were happy. Then he left you with _that.'_ He waved at me again. 'Before coming to me for something _I know_ _you would not ask unless it has torn your heart asunder._ So, tell me sister, _what are you hiding?'_

To mom's credit she barely flinched. Barely.

Before straightening up and glaring at her twin with all the ferociousness I can only describe as one worthy of a Dracule.

'…. Something that would make half the things in the New World seem _sane._ '

 _That_ brought him up short.

Mihawk stared contemplatively at my mom for a few long moments before letting out a barely audible, but resigned sigh. Sitting down and reaching to poor himself some wine that came from _somewhere,_ my uncle swirled the liquid and downed the glass before returning his gaze onto his sister.

'You're an absolute headache, sister. Not many things can surpass the madness of the New World, what makes this any different?'

'Well,' I said dryly.

His eyes shot up to look at me.

'I think _I_ can explain,' I forged on undeterred. 'If you're willing to listen, hi! My name is Dracule D. Silver, first born and last child of Dracule Amber and since I have no idea who my father is, I'm not telling. Obviously. The reason for me talking despite my under-developed vocal cords can be summarized in two words. _Devil. Fruit._ You're a New World veteran, figure it out. As for the how I'm obviously not the mental age you probably thought I am, though don't worry since _everybody_ thinks that, can be explained in either a very long and detailed answer or a short answer that wouldn't require much thought other than the madness that is me. Please, _do_ pick the short one.' I finished sweetly as if I hadn't just sassed the World's Strongest Swordsman under his very own roof.

A thing that I've accomplished that I don't think Roronoa Zoro ever will! _Sweet._

Mihawk stared and stared and _stared._ I spent the time musing which was worse, his stare or mom's.

'…Explain. Fully.'

Which _would_ have sounded pretty nonchalant if his left eye wasn't _clearly_ doing the hoe-down in its socket.

I grinned eagerly at his reaction. 'I got the _Dracule Mihawk_ to have a "what the hell" moment! See mom? Am I awesome or what?'

I jerked over to my mom who was rubbing her temples and looking _this_ close to giving up on life in general. The colorful language she was muttering under her breath didn't help either.

'…Normally I would tease you about cursing in front of me quietly, the user of the Sound Sound Fruit, but something tells me you wouldn't care either way,' I deadpanned.

Her reaction was to flip me the bird.

Shrugging, I turned back to my uncle and started the _very_ long and winding explanation that was made to be purposefully long and winding, starting from my world and my death before ending up somewhere in a deep philosophical rant about fairness in general that somehow crosses over with _precisely_ what a typical modern-day office would look like down to the brand of coffee mug used.

'-as such, therein lies the reason why you _never_ use Nike and Adidas in the same outfit.' I finished primly.

Uncle and mom's expression when she looked up were one and the same: completely and utterly devoid of emotion.

'And _how_ much of that was relevant?' Mom asked incredulously.

'Hmmmm.' I tapped my chin in mock thought. ' _Almost_ zero, none, nope, nada, nay. I did say almost!'

Her reaction was to groan and snatch the wine bottle right off her brothers grasp, diligently ignoring the irritated 'hey!' of protest, before proceeding to chug the whole bottle in record time.

As I giggled madly a sudden thought struck me that simply didn't make sense. 'Hey, uncle?'

I wasn't sure to be gratified or insulted as Mihawk stiffened.

'You know how you were ranting about how mom was hiding something? I know it's completely justified and all, but how did you know she was going to ask for something huge? I'm pretty sure she didn't write anything and we don't have any transponder snails available and they can be hijacked anyway. So other than the obligatory "I know them too well" excuse siblings can use at some point in their lives, how did you know?' I asked curiously.

Mihawk's response was to sigh wearily into his hand, which had slowly but surely made its way up to his face while I was talking.

'My sister, being her own predictable self, would most likely give you to the person she trusts the most to raise you in order to keep you hidden and safe, before storming off to give the World Government and by extension, the marines, a piece of her mind. The person she deems the best is me, since the first thing she did after the arrest warrant was sent was to come here.' He replied, seething between gritted teeth.

'With that being said, Amber, I _know_ you. You can be smart when you need to be, which is not very often. _Why_ did you think that I would raise her? I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with _him_ for more than what is necessary! She aggravates me, aggravates _you,_ and unlike you I am not a father! I'm sure you know someone else who can give her a father, and then there's her herself! She claims that you exist because of her wish, _uses_ you to have a relationship with me and spouts this nonsense that your death will be because of a Buster Call! How could I possibly raise her?!'

 _How could I possibly raise her the way you want me to._ In other words. _How could I possible_ love _her._

Those words went unsaid, but they wormed my way into my mind either way. Going by how mom was chewing her lips in desperation, I think she knew it too.

'…I do not think you're completely wrong, brother.' She admitted quietly. '" Completely" being the key word there.'

She stiffened before _glaring_ at her brother. And by glaring? I meant killer stare, killing intent, ferocious anger, _conquerers haki_ glaring.

In other words, Emperor level glare. Think a really annoyed Whitebeard staring down at a nobody who had grievously injured one of his sons only to realize that said son was dead.

In a word? _Run._

'I am your _sister,_ brother of mine. I have raised you, fed you, bled for you, killed for you, _gone to hell and back with you,_ and _supported you when the world wished you dead.'_ Her tone was all but dripping with acid. 'I have _quiet literally NEVER_ asked anything of you, and yet when I do I find you _unwilling to comply._ Now, I understand where you're coming from brother dearest, but I have fully forgiven her myself. She is my daughter and I trust her with my _life._ And for all it is worth, she is your niece. If I find you resenting her for my sake then _mark my words. There. WILL. BE. **HELL TO PAY!'**_

Mihawk's flinch was much more pronounced.

I, on the other hand, was gaping in awe.

Breathing heavily, mom stared down her brother with an expression that even someone blind, deaf, and stupid would know as someone who is _not_ going to be taking "no" as an answer.

There was tense silence, before Mihawk managed to seethe out.

'I'll do as you ask, sister.'

'To the best of your abilities?'

'Yes.'

'You better, or I'll kick your ass myself!'

They glared at each other some more before mom went to a nearby cabinet and took out a wine glass and a bottle that looked old, peeling, and absolutely alcohol.

She then marched back and slammed them on the table. 'Sit down and drink,' she ordered. 'I have barely a few more days to spend with my family and I intend on getting _sloshed._ Let's start by making Whitebeard's liver look like _pansies_ in comparison yea?'

Mihawk smirked.

' _There's_ the Amber I know,' he whispered with no small amount of fondness.

I eagerly raised my hand.

'Hey, so do I-'

'ABSOLUTLY NOT SILVER! Physically aged adults with livers of steel _only!'_ Mom snapped.

'Awww, snap,' I pouted.

 **Aaaaaaand done! Man, sorry for taking so long. I think I liked this. Do you guys like it? Reviews welcome~**


End file.
